The Moment Most Comedians Stop Improving
What Happens After The Excitement Fades (Comedy Mindhacks #118)
A couple years ago, I was sitting in a high school gym in Hawai’i watching my son play basketball. Like most parents, I wasn’t really paying much attention during warmups. I was just waiting for the game to start and mentally preparing myself to yell things from the bleachers that my son would later pretend he couldn’t hear. At one point, I noticed a player from the opposing team wearing a shirt with a phrase I thought was pretty brilliant: “Bet On Yourself. Then Double Down.”
At the time, I thought it was a pretty bold statement for a teenager. Most teenagers spend a lot of time wondering whether they’re good enough, smart enough, athletic enough, or cool enough. And, in all honesty, most adults aren’t much different. We just get better at hiding our insecurities. Even so, there was something about that phrase that has stuck with me.
In fact, I’ve thought about it many times since then. Recently, I started thinking about in relation to comedy. In most areas of life, betting on yourself is a good idea. In comedy, it’s essential; it’s mandatory. What I mean is: Every comedian has to make an initial bet on himself or herself. The first open mic? That’s a bet. Signing up for a comedy class? That’s also a bet. Driving across town for four minutes of stage time? Definitely a bet! Spending hours writing jokes that may never work? Yup, that’s a bet. Before anyone else believes in a comedian, the comedian has to believe in himself or herself first.
The interesting thing is that many people are willing to make that first bet. The first open and first class feel exciting. The first few months in stand-up often feel exhilarating because everything’s new. Even bombing can feel strangely exciting, almost like an initiation even. Then something changes: The novelty wears off, the compliments become less frequent, progress becomes harder to measure, the rooms start looking familiar, the haters come out of the woodworks, and it all starts seeming…ugh!
Suddenly, instead of feeling like you’re sprinting forward, it starts feeling like you’re carrying a refrigerator uphill while everyone around you appears to be moving faster. That’s where many comedians get stuck. It might not be that they quit performing, attending open mics, or even calling themselves comedians but they slowly stop investing. They stop studying, writing as much, seeking feedback, and putting themselves in situations that might accelerate their growth.
I’ve seen this pattern play out repeatedly. Someone takes a comedy class and assumes improvement will continue automatically. Sorry to tell you: It doesn’t! Someone gets a paid gig and assumes more opportunities will naturally follow. For the most part, that’s not how it works! Someone has a good set and begins protecting that version of themselves instead of developing a better one and without realizing it, they start living off old investments.
That’s why I think the second half of the phrase on that warmup shirt matters more than the first half. Most people are willing to bet on themselves once. Far fewer people are willing to keep investing after the excitement disappears. Far fewer are willing to double down and bet again. The first bet gets you into the game. The second, third, and fiftieth bets are what determine whether you continue growing.
During and after my doctoral studies, one of my primary academic interests was “Motivation Theory.” I’ve read the research, presented conference papers, and spent years thinking about how people change. I’ve also written a book on “Change Theory,” too. One conclusion I’ve reached over time and mentioned on my website before is that motivation was never meant to be a permanent residence. Motivation is a bridge. Its purpose is to get us moving and keep us moving long enough for habits, systems, and identity to take over.
The comedians who continue improving eventually stop relying on motivation. They build routines and writing habits. They build systems for getting stage time and become the kind of people who write, learn, perform, and improve whether they feel inspired or not. That’s when growth starts compounding. What I’ve also noticed is that many comedians spend years waiting for momentum to return. They remember how excited they felt when they first started and assume that feeling must come back before they can move forward.
Meanwhile, the comedians who continue growing are doing something altogether different. They’re creating momentum through action rather than waiting for momentum to create action. (Read that last sentence again.) That distinction may seem small, but it actually changes everything. Looking back, I think that’s what the teenager on that basketball court understood. Betting on yourself matters. Every meaningful pursuit begins there. At some point, however, belief has to become investment. The people who continue growing are usually the people who keep making the same bet over and over again and it’s a bet on themselves.
Many comedians aren’t stuck because they never believed in themselves. They’re stuck because they stopped investing in themselves after the first bet. It’s easy to keep waiting for the payoff while also neglecting the process that creates it. Here’s a hard truth many may not want to hear: Growth gets expensive. What I mean is: Growth gets expensive after the excitement fades, and that’s precisely where most people walk away because the expenses just aren’t worth it.
At the end of they day, the challenge isn’t finding the courage to bet on yourself once. Nah, the challenge is waking up tomorrow, sitting down to write, driving to the next show, seeking the feedback, taking the class, and making those same kinds of bets on yourself over and over again. When you place a bet on yourself then double down, that’s where momentum is built and growth happens. And whether it’s comedy or anything else in life, that’s where you become the person you want to become.
So, before you go, let me ask you a question: What would doubling down actually look like for you right now? Maybe it’s writing another ten jokes this week. Maybe it’s signing up for a class. Maybe it’s finally getting serious about studying the craft. Maybe it’s investing in resources that help you grow instead of hoping growth happens automatically. If you’re looking for a place to start, I wrote Comedy Mindhacks: 100 Mental Shifts To Help Comedians & Creatives Succeed for exactly that reason.
This entire book is built around helping comedians identify the mental obstacles that quietly slow their growth and steal their momentum. If this article resonated with you, I think you’ll find a lot more of that inside the book. You can check out sample pages HERE. If you’re not yet a subscriber, use code MH10LIVE at checkout HERE for 10% off. Free subscribers automatically receive 15% off, and paid subscribers receive 35% off because I’m a big believer in rewarding people who invest in themselves. 👉 Click HERE to grab the book.
And if you’re ready to double down in a BIGGER way, consider joining my Comedy Vault. It’s my private collection of premium resources, trainings, workshops, and tools designed to help comedians continue growing long after the initial excitement fades. The first bet gets you into the game. Doubling down is what changes who you become.👉 Click HERE to unlock the Comedy Vault.
